Remembering America's Soldiers…With Charts

[limpyhobbler]

How long should you spend commemorating Memorial Day? It can be accomplished in just 60 seconds if you follow a 2000 presidential memo from Bill Clinton that encouraged Americans "to pause for one minute at 3:00 p.m. (local time) on Memorial Day, to remember and reflect on the sacrifices made by so many to provide freedom for all." That comes out to 0.0000446 seconds of reflection for each of the approximately 1.3 million Americans who have died in uniform since the earliest days of the republic (according to Wikipedia).

If you have some more time, check out these charts about those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Let's start with a quick review of the biggest conflicts in American history:


...snip...

Though still relatively low by historical standards, casualty rates are on the rise in Afghanistan as more troops have surged into the country. Meanwhile, the casualty rates have dropped significantly in Iraq as more troops have left (often for Afghanistan).



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from: http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/05/memorial-day-military-casualty-charts

[Brooklyn Dame]

1. They deserve our respect...

...and our thanks. And Congress owes the troops support when they return home.



http://borderlessnewsandviews.com/2012/05/haunting-memories/

http://borderlessnewsandviews.com/2012/05/memorial-day/